No, he has only the elect in view regarding salvation, not the nation - the remnant is only of those by the election of grace - not the non-elect of the earthly nation of Israel. Paul, in those verses, is not speaking about Jews in general who do not practice idolatry; he is speaking only about the elect - ONLY those whom God FOREKNEW - THE ELECT, not everyone. The only verse where idolatry is even mentioned at all is vs 4, and that in relation to the elect, that they didn't bow down to the image of baal, but nothing beyond that of any other Jews not worshipping idols. Other than that, there is no further mention made of idolatry. So, by that, you are adding to those verses your own assumption - something that wasn't said, and therefore, shouldn't be used as a basis for understanding. The only correct basis for understanding is that certain Jews were of the elect.
We agree that God is saving the elect, whether Jew or Gentile. Let's establish this as a given. The question concerns God's will for the Nation of Israel.
I brought us to Romans 11 to show Paul's perspective on the question. Beginning in Romans 11:11 he begins his argument for why God has not abandoned the physical nation of Israel.
I say then, they did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous.
Paul’s point in Romans 11:11ff centers on physical Israel, not a symbolic “spiritual Israel,” because the entire sequence he describes depends on the real historical actions of ethnic Israel. It was
physical Israel that transgressed, rejecting the Messiah, and Paul explicitly says that
their transgression opened the door for
Gentile salvation. That salvation, in turn, had a specific purpose: to provoke
Israel—the same group that stumbled—
to jealousy. The logic only works if Paul is speaking about the same, literal people group at every step: the Israel that sinned, the Israel that sees Gentiles receiving what they expected, and the Israel that is meant to be stirred to return to God. A symbolic “spiritual Israel” cannot transgress, cannot be contrasted with Gentiles, and cannot be made jealous by Gentile inclusion. Paul’s argument depends entirely on the historical, physical nation of Israel and God’s ongoing plan for them.
Because it is NOT my responsibility to attempt a Vulcan mind meld to figure out your thoughts. It is YOUR responsibility as a poster to do that - you should make precisely clear what you think and why you think it.
Fair enough. But I can't tell you how many verses from the Bible I would need to quote to tell the complete story. I already attempted to summarize it but the summary was rejected out of hand. I created two or three videos in order to explain it but they won't let me post them here.
I will try to summarize God's will for physical Israel this way.
Jesus as the "
Savior King."
In the Greek and Roman world, a **sōtēr** was a “savior‑king” or “savior‑prince,” a ruler who delivered his people from military threat, political chaos, or national humiliation. Emperors, generals, and benefactors were praised as *sōtēres* because they rescued the nation from its enemies and restored peace. This cultural backdrop helps explain the New Testament’s language about Jesus as **Savior**. Yes, he saves his people from their sins, but Luke’s opening chapters show that his role is also royal and national: he is the promised Davidic king who brings deliverance to **Israel**. Zechariah blesses God for raising up “a horn of salvation” to save Israel from her enemies and from all who hate her (Luke 1:69–71), and Simeon rejoices that Jesus is God’s salvation for Israel and the nations (Luke 2:30–32). In other words, the New Testament uses the familiar Greco‑Roman idea of a savior‑king but fills it with Israel’s messianic hope: Jesus is the true *sōtēr* who brings both spiritual forgiveness and national deliverance.
The Greco‑Roman idea of the
sōtēr—a savior‑king who rescues a nation from its enemies—helps illuminate Paul’s language at the end of Romans 11. Just as a sōtēr was expected to bring political and national deliverance, Paul speaks of a future moment when
“the Deliverer will come from Zion” and
save Israel. This fits the pattern we see in Luke 1–2, where Jesus is hailed not only as the one who forgives sins but as the Davidic king who brings rescue to Israel from her oppressors. Paul’s argument in Romans 11 follows the same trajectory: Israel’s stumbling leads to Gentile salvation, Gentile salvation provokes Israel to jealousy, and Israel’s jealousy culminates in a national restoration brought about by Israel’s true sōtēr. In other words, the New Testament does not limit Jesus’ saving work to personal forgiveness; it also presents him as the royal deliverer who fulfills Israel’s hope for national redemption—precisely the kind of salvation a first‑century audience would associate with a sōtēr.
The prophets repeatedly speak of a future
gathering of Israel’s “survivors”—a remnant preserved by God through judgment and exile. These survivors are not merely ethnic Israelites; they are the
inwardly renewed, spiritually responsive members of the nation whom God calls his
elect. This background helps us understand the New Testament expectation that, in the end, God will gather a Jewish remnant prepared to receive Jesus as both their physical deliverer and their spiritual Savior. Isaiah’s “survivors of Israel” (Isa. 10:20–22) and Zechariah’s purified remnant anticipate exactly what Paul describes in Romans 11: a future moment when
Israel’s remnant—humbled, refined, and ready—turns to the Messiah in faith. These are the Jews who will welcome Jesus not only as the one who forgives their sins but also as the Davidic king who brings national restoration. In this way, the prophetic hope of a gathered remnant and Paul’s vision of Israel’s final salvation converge: God preserves a faithful core of his people who will embrace Jesus as the true *sōtēr*, the Savior of both their souls and their nation.
This is the best I can do without going verse by verse to explain every passage.